It was constructed in the nineteenth century by the Dutch colonial government, for use in exporting sugar and various agricultural products coming from the hinterlands in Central Java, replacing a heavily silted, pre-colonial port.

Previously Semarang Harbor was in Simongan hill; this area is now known as Gedong Batu (where the Sam Poo Kong Temple is located).

A large amount of sand and continuous mud deposits, causes the river that connects the city with the port to be unnavigable.

To overcome the unfavorable geological conditions for large ships in 1868, some trading companies did the first mud dredging.

[4] After the construction of the new canal, many ships from abroad, both steamers and sailboats, arrived at the port of Semarang.

At that time, the maximum which could be docked at Nusantara Pier was ships with draft of 5 meters or ± 3,500 Tons of deadweight (Dwt).

[5] In 2017, Pelindo III announced plans for a land reclamation of 22 hectares estimated to be completed on 2018 as first phase of development of the port.

The port has smart passenger and freight cargo system using in check-in and check-out counters, metal detectors, x-ray machines, scales, and others.